VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA-Terror on Dinosaur Island, Killers of the Deep, Deadly Creature Below!, the Phantom Strikes

Benson, a crewman on Seaview, is what Kowalski calls a gold bricker. He asks him or Patterson to switch duty watches with him--a duty that Bishop has put him on (Bishop is the name of an officer from Season One). Pat goes to sonar watch. Ski suggest Benson ask his buddy Grady, "He's your pal."Benson muses that Ski is right--he can talk that kid into anything. Sharkey and Nelson are in the Flying Sub (NOTE: the backdrop of the interior of the Flying Sub looks a bit odd--as if it were wooden, not well lit, and perhaps not the entire Flying Sub set-up). An island seems to rise out of the water at them. They believe they are witnessing the birth of an island. Chip gives lee a pressure report and Lee warns the Flying Sub--but it is too late. The Flying Sub heads for the crater which is blowing up! Nelson tells Sharkey to grab his chute and jump--they have ten seconds. They jump and the Flying Sub hits a plateau--and explodes via stock explosion from THE LOST WORLD (1960-and the Irwin Allen version).

Act One

Seaview has 8 windows. Pat gets the explosion reading. Chip calls Lee, "Sir, the island is blowing."Over the intercom, Crane tells everyone to brace themselves. A shock wave hits and Seaview has four windows. Underneath the sea, the debre and trees hit Seaview in a turbulent whirlpool (stock from TURN BACK THE CLOCK) and the sub has 8 windows, then two, then four! Sparks is not in this episode. Nelson gets up in a fogged shrouded area where there is an unearthly silence. He passes his oddly spotted, leopard colored parachute lodged in a tree. He passes large vegetation and finds his radio no longer has its antenna--he tosses the antenna and the radio. Up high on rocks, Nelson scans and spots Sharkey below. He wakes him. Sharkey says, "Anytime you can walk away from a landing it's a good one."Sharkey's leg seems fractured. Nelson must set the break (well, guys, is it a fracture or a break?). He must make a splint afterward. Nelson, who seems as if this is his first mission with Sharkey, says, "Chief Petty Officer from the US Navy on Leave, what do your friends call you?"Sharkey says, "Francis,"and Nelson laughs. He sets it and it, true to Nelson's warning, hurts. (NOTE: In TIME BOMB, Sharkey tells Katie that everyone calls him Sharkey). Patterson on Seaview picks up a large object or objects. Benson on bow lookout tells Crane and Chip he saw a large object. Chip asks Benson why he is here and not Grady. Before he can answer, a large Brontosaurus's face is at the window. It roars.

Act Two

The Brontosaurus (really an invalid name for a specimen that belongs to the genus Apatosaurus--although it should be noted that no one on Seaview calls it a Brontosaurus--just "thing") attacks as the crash doors close. Gen Quarters is called. They can't use a torpedo since it is too close. It hits mid ship with its neck (actually the neck looks like a giant squid arm prop used in the movie and the pilot). The head of the Bronto as seen through the Seaview window as well as later brief Bronto sequences are quite possibly stock edits from either Irwin's own THE ANIMAL WORLD or props from the movie DINOSAURS! which boasted models by Marcel Delgado--the man who worked on the original THE LOST WORLD and the original KING KONG. Either way, these models are far superior to the old lizards as giant dinos used in the second THE LOST WORLD and the original ONE MILLION BC and a dozen other films about giant lizards. Men run out of compartments filling with water and out of rooms to help each other. Stock from SUBMARINE SUNK HERE is here. Crane and Benson, Benson realizing Grady is in the lower compartment where 34 men are trapped, run to help. Ski and sailors help men out of the room. The Bronto hits again (squid arm again--you can even see the suction cups this time). Grady is trapped as halls shake and water comes pouring in to halls and a few lower rooms. Grady falls under--a man tries to reach him but can't. Grady seems to fall under and drown. Looking at this now, it seems he could have been saved...but Crane orders the hatch secured and shuts the door to the hatch area himself. Benson tells Crane he killed Grady. Quietly, they walk in the subsiding water of the upper hall. Seaview levels off. Compartments 40 to 48 are flooded but the water tight hatches are holding. General power is restored and they are on two thirds speed. Chip feels they can reach negative buoyancy. Nelson makes a flag pole from the parachutes but Sharky doesn't think anyone is coming--he doesn't like the looks of the island, they landed on the wrong island. As Nelson tries to explain, Sharkey talks of Manhattan Island (giving the impression he is from there). Nelson feels this island from the boon docks and flora, that the island has been above ground in recent times...yet they saw it rise out of the sea. Sharkey puts it more plainly, "You mean this island has been going up and down like a yo-yo."Nelson calls him Francis. Seaview is on the beach...an interesting mock up set of the Seaview partly on dry land! Quite nice. Shipfitters and carpenters are fixing the ship. Crane asks Chip for Patterson and Ski to go with him. In the crew quarters, Ski and Pat come in joyous but tell Benson they are sorry about Grady. Pat is in a red outfit. Benson tells them Crane killed Grady and talks like he won't let Crane off the hook. Chip asks Pat and SKi to get their fatigues on to go with Crane. Benson volunteers. Pat tells Ski that is the first time he volunteered for anything. As Ski starts to remove his shirt, he watches Grady take out a gun. Nelson is on the rocks, looking around. Sharkey tells him to go scouting on his own but Nelson doesn't think it is a good idea. Sharkey tries to prove he can walk but hears a giant roaring of some animal. They hear and see brush moving in an effective use of the stock footage from THE LOST WORLD-1960-as the lizard slowly makes its presence known. Nelson tells Sharkey it has caught their scent (?) and diverts it, pushing Sharkey away, "Now move!"He uses his gun but gets his foot caught between two rocks. Sharkey sees this and another lizard comes and fights the first one! Sharkey hobble-runs to Nelson, uses a stick to push the boulder opposite Nelson. The creatures roar in battle. (NOTE: music used here is from THE X FACTOR.)

Act Three

There are some excellent effects as we see Sharkey pushing the rock and Nelson caught all in the same frame as the battling enlarged lizards. These types of effects would become common place on LAND OF THE GIANTS. Unfortunately we also hear the scream of Jill St. John from THE LOST WORLD which managed to get on the soundtrack by accident! Nelson is freed by Sharkey and they run, Nelson commenting that their one advantage is they are smaller and can hide under the rocks and foliage. Crane, Benson, Pat, and Ski start out but a small tremor rocks them. Benson has a rifle but calls Pat chicken. Ski interferes with, "You're the one who's always ducking the tough details."Pat breaks them up just as a fight begins. Crane comes and asks about Benson being here. He tells Crane he is good with a rifle and thought he could help. Crane tells him they all feel badly about Grady--it couldn't be helped. They push in toward higher ground. The whole island is a volcano, Crane tells them. They hear a roar. Benson ducks away from Pat and Ski. Using binoculars, Crane is looking at a Brontosaurus eating from trees when Benson points the rifle at Crane's back. Crane reports to Chip--he is near the center of the crater. A quake shakes everyone, preventing Benson from shooting Crane. Seaview also shakes. Later, Crane makes the foursome take a break but Benson thinks it is wasting time and asks to split up--he with Crane. Ski and Pat talk among themselves--feeling even Crane is giving up hope of finding the other two. Ski feels they should have found some sign of the Admiral and the Chief and tells Crane this. He tells Crane, despite urging from Benson, that he and Pat will stay with him and Benson. Sharkey and Nelson watch a newer dinosaur which Nelson names a Stegosaurus. Sharkey says, "I don't care what his name is as long as he can't get to us."This was used as a part of TV 55's promos on Long Island when they aired VOYAGE and LOST and GIANTS. The beast (from THE LOST WORLD-1960) knocks a tree down near them. They run and fall. Nelson needs to build a fire and uses wet leaves to make smoke. Sharkey takes out his wallet and has a little black book which Nelson wants to use. Sharkey doesn't want to give it up but one roar from the creature makes him hand it over. Nelson tears out pages but glances at a name he recognizes, "Oh, I used to know...uhmmm...."Sharkey grabs the rest of the book back from him, "Just make a fire!"Sharky tells him that in the Boy Scouts he never got his Merit Badge since he used matches to make a fire. Nelson makes a fire (?). Chip suggests Crane call off the search--the island looks as if it is about to blow up in minutes. Crane tells Chip to get ready to shove off, they will come back. Benson orders the trio to drop their guns, "Captain Crane--I'm gonna kill you."

Act Four

Crane tells Benson to stop this and they will forget all about it. He tries to talk sense into Benson, "Do you think I wanted to do what I did to Grady. Do you think I get some kind of sadistic pleasure out of it? What would you have had me do--lose the whole ship?"Benson tells them he will kill all three of them. Ski says he will testify that Crane tried to kill Benson---there is no reason he should have to die for Crane. This allows Ski to get closer to Benson. Ski waves Crane off saying he never liked Crane anyway. Patterson tells Benson to count him out of their little plan. Ski grabs the rifle away from Benson and it falls. Crane tells Pat not to shoot Benson who runs off. Sharkey and Nelson hear shots--Pat firing at Benson before Crane's order. They think that the rescue party saw the smoke. The two run toward the shot sound but are blocked by a giant lizard. They go back. Crane, Pat, and Ski are almost lost and each thinks to go a different way and lots of tremors, geysers, smoke blasts hamper their efforts. The volcano blows up. The plateau blows blasts (LOST WORLD). Seaview shakes as Chip calls, "Lee, get back to the ship, we can't wait much longer."Nelson helps Sharkey as lava flows dangerously close to them. Crane, Ski, and Pat see a giant lizard--the first one Sharkey and Nelson saw before--among the trees. Ski hears someone--unaware it is Nelson calling Crane's name over and over. Crane fires shots for them to follow, unaware of who it is but guessing and hoping it is, "The Admiral!"He uses the binoculars and thinks the sound is from Benson--who runs into a dinosaur lizard who is rising out of the lava (LOST WORLD end dino). Contrary to publicity material and another, erroneous book, Benson does not get eaten by this dino---he falls as trees tumble down and gas shoots up from the ground. Crane warns him but Ski tells him to let him go. Crane says, "No, we can't let him die, not if we can save him!"Crane yells at Benson to lookout. A geyser of hot gas hits him and he falls off a ridge of rocks (to where we don't really see).

Tag

Crane tells the other two that Benson is dead. Nelson and Sharkey get to the other three as trees fall, geysers open up, rocks fall down from the air. They get to Seaview which pulls back off the island into the water. The whole island blows up (ENEMY BELOW stock). Nelson tells Crane, later as they sit at the nose of Seaview that he cannot turn in a report about dinosaurs. Chip tells them that there is a problem in the galley---Pat brought back a souvenir from the island--a dino egg! It was in the galley refrigerator and took up space. Nelson wonders if it could be old Tyrannosaurs Rex himself. It is the evidence they need. Pat is credited as the Sonar Man for some reason. I also got the feeling that Riley was originally supposed to be the one who went with Crane and Ski on the island. The ending purposed a sequel just as THE LOST WORLD of 1960 did but just like that movie, it never happened. The first LOST WORLD was a silent movie that has the egg brought back to London to open up and have a dino--a bronto--attack the city. Brontos hardly ever went as deep as shown in TERROR ON DINOSAUR ISLAND, nor would they really attack the sub as they did. It is jarring to see two types of dino effects here--the Bronto (possibly from DINOSAURS!) and the giant lizard standard effect (albeit mixed well with tiny shots Nelson and Sharkey during the major battle). While much of this was seen already, some shots were new, mostly the mixing of the tiny images and the lizards--at least the tiny images were new. The other lizard effects were used over and over many times in other movies and in VOYAGE as well--TURN BACK THE CLOCK for one. The one really interesting sub plot here--the one with Benson--would have been much better if somehow Benson redeemed himself by purposely getting Nelson and Sharkey back to Crane, Ski, and Pat. In the way it was done, Benson's actions accidentally lead to their recovery of Nelson and Sharkey. It would have also have been more dramatic if some other threat besides the Bronto attacked Seaview--perhaps some Elamosaurus or other sea creature that was purported by scientists to actually live that deep under the sea. Pat is credited only as the Sonar Man. A new LOST WORLD and RETURN TO THE LOST WORLD was made as direct to video movies and are not bad at all taken in that context--they are better than this VOYAGE episode. They starred John Rhyes Davies of SLIDERS fame.

NOTE: I like the clever banter in this season and in this episode. What I don't understand is why it seems as if Nelson is getting to know Sharkey for the first time. They have already worked together for a time now..a short time, yes but why is Nelson acting as if this is the first time he's met Sharkey? That was a bit strange to me since they already went through THE MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, THE X FACTOR, THE PEACEMAKER, THE DEADLIEST GAME AND ESCAPE FROM VENICE together with VENICE and GAME being Sharkey-Nelson missions. Perhaps this is the first time they really talk as people and not as work partners or boss and underling. Here he tells Nelson his friends call him Francis but in TIME BOMB Sharkey tells Katie he is called Sharkey by everyone when she mentions Francis as his first name. This episode made good use of music from JONAH AND THE WHALE.

KILLERS OF THE DEEP

Writers-William Reed Woodfield, Allan Balter

Dir-Harry Harris

Teaser

Nelson finds a top secret missile silo on tape 3800--empty on the ocean floor. He calls the Secretary of Defense. Apparently a sub has picked up the nuclear missile and others. Nelson and Crane soar off in the Flying Sub to search. The Destroyer Mackline is reported in the area and joining the search as ordered by League Commander. Lee picks up a small submarine on the surface--with on national markings. As the Flying Sub circles, a missile is fired from the sub and blows up near the Flying Sub. Gas comes out and the Flying Sub shakes. Nelson grabs life preservers and a raft as the sub zooms down, humming louder and louder (via Jupiter II type sound effects). Nelson yells at Crane to jump and the Captain does but a sharp shake throws Nelson back into the Flying Sub. He falls but manages to pilot the Flying Sub upward a bit. Even so, it hits the water with a tearing force!

Act One

Nelson is in the water with parts of the Flying Sub all around him (ie--not very realistic parts) and he calls for Lee. He can't find him but does see the Macklin whose crew pull him up. There is a Commander Lawrence, Exec Lt. Stone, and Ensign Fraser (a nice job of acting by Patrick Wayne). In wet clothes, Nelson contacts Seaview, worried about Crane. Silos 11 and 18 are missing. Chip will picks up the missiles still in place via Seaview. Nelson will use the Macklin to recover the stolen ones. He figures # 8 is next. They must go after the enemy sub--even if it means they may not find Crane. Crane is being watched on a periscope by an enemy sub captain. The enemy sub brings him aboard. The sub commander introduces himself as Thomas Ruiz, the small country he works for will become a larger one with a few nuclear missiles. He orders Crane to be given dry clothes. Nelson on the Macklin moves to change his wet clothes. The enemy sub rises from 150 feet to 50 feet (lots of stock footage from THE ENEMY BELOW but not the same music from that WWI submarine vs Destroyer movie). Men on the enemy sub are wearing dirty T shirts to match the footage from the movie. Crane grabs Ruiz as he readies to fire a torpedo at the Destroyer and is hit back. The torpedo seems to blow up part of the back of the Macklin.

Act Two

Men on the Macklin run to ready defense and retaliation (more stock). Passage Four was hit by the torpedo. Capt. Lawrence and Lt. Stone are dead. Nelson, changed, is in black clothes now. One torpedo hit mid ship and is a dud...but it may have a timer and also penetrated the bulkhead. The demolition crew is trapped in the crew's mess. Nelson gets to the dud. Crane asks the enemy to give the men a chance now that their ship is damaged. Ruiz tells Crane they are like a wounded animal and most dangerous now. Nelson has four minutes to disarm the torpedo while the Boson's Mate helps. To do this, they must stop the Macklin and reverse starboard. Nelson and the boson or boson's mate (named Wilson it seems) disarm the torpedo in the four minutes allowed. One mistake and it could have gone off. Nelson begins to figure the enemy moves correctly. Two more torpedoes fire and Nelson deactivates the torpedo in time for the Macklin to move out of their way. We hear music from the Western movie THE LAST WAGON. Crane grabs up a chair and smashes the sonar on the enemy sub and is knocked down by the First Mate. (Crane's unobservant guard is played by what seems to be a teenage boy!) Macklin bombs the sub with depth charges. Crane is on the floor unconscious it would seem as the rolls begin.

Act Three

Crane rolls about. The sub releases a sonar decoy--ink like oil substance. Destroyer passes very close to the sub which is silent running. Crane jumps up again and hits an alarm. Men surround, grab, and subdue him. Macklin hears the alarm. Crane is taken away by the First Mate to be locked up, chained to a valve in a storeroom. Nelson scrambles with Chip (with that same annoying sound from TIME BOMB and other episodes from this season). Chip has picked up cylo 4 with three others next to be picked up. Chip asks of Lee. Seaview can be in the area of the Macklin in 12 hours. Nelson will be at cylo 8 in 46 minutes. Crane uses his feet to get knock over a shelf holder and get a tool to get himself free. He finds the door locked but also finds a vent. Music used on THE TIME TUNNEL is used here but this music was also used in VOYAGE's first season and most likely comes from another movie. Crane crawls in the vents. The Sub sounds an alarm--hey, wait, I thought the idea was not to make noise! More stock from the German U Boat in ENEMY BELOW is used--this time the interior as men in T shirts and men with no shirts on run to ready for defense and attack. More depth charges rock the sub, nearly deafening Crane in the vents. The often used shaking sound effects can be heard very clearly in this episode, particularly in this scene. The First Mate Manolo warns Ruiz about taking this old sub down to hug the bottom to avoid the charges but is ordered to do it anyway. The pressure increases to 400 then 700 in the danger zone. We hear music from LEVIATHAN and hear creaking sounds which add to the tension. Crane bangs in the vent to give away the enemy sub position. A big stocky crewman is sent in from the sonar area to the drain to find Crane. Nelson resets the depth charges as they pick up the lower site of the sub. The sub goes ahead full but leaks occur. Nelson and the others on the Macklin see an oil slick...as if the sub has been destroyed.

Act Four

Nelson thinks if the sub is still going, they will wait until dark to attack. Crane is in a vent that will be used in LAND OF THE GIANTS-EVERY DOG NEEDS A BOY. He karate chops the man sent in to kill him in the vent. The sub's air supply is at a loss but they wait until dark. Men search for the trouble maker Crane but can't find him. They go to the surface as it is dark and use a periscope decoy. The forward torpedoes are fired. Nelson says, "That's the first mistake he's made."They fire depth charges as torpedoes hit. Ruiz orders, "I want no survivors."He wants to finish them off. Nelson tells everyone except the bridge, sonar, radio room, and gun crew to abandon ship (is there anyone else?). The crew obey using stock from ENEMY BELOW--stock of which fills most of this climax. Nelson then sends the sonar man out and, after getting more power from the engine room, the engine room crew, out. The forward gun aims at the surfaced sub, Nelson sends Frazer off ship, then steers the Destroyer at the sub. Tom Ruiz, on top the conning tower of the sub is wearing a hat similar to the hat worn by the captain of the German U Boat in THE ENEMY BELOW. The gun crew shoot at the sub, fire spreads on the Destroyer. Crane gets out of his vent into the control room which has been abandoned by the entire crew!?! He hides and gets a gun, shooting the first mate Manolo when he refuses Crane's warning. A depth charge gives Ruiz the upper hand and he and Crane fight, the gun between them. The Destroyer rams into the sub (yes, stock from ENEMY), spreading fire and leaks into it. Crane and Tom fight through this.

Tag

Ruiz gets the gun as water fills the room. Yet he and Crane still battle, the gun goes off between them. When Ruiz falls, Crane checks to see if he is still alive. Men from the sub dive into the burning water. Nelson calls Lee and gives him a line when Crane appears on the sub deck. Crane ties it (amid good use of music from JONAH AND THE WHALE) and climbs across to the Destroyer as the sub blows up. He and Nelson climb down netting to the life boats--again stock from ENEMY BELOW. They boats get away and a tremendous blast rips the sub and the destroyer to nothingness. Seaview: Nelson and Crane discuss the situation. A small country is paying reparations, forced to by the UN. Nelson jokes about Crane almost dying, "Look at all the trouble I'd have finding a new captain for the Seaview."Crane says, "That won't be necessary."Nelson laughs.

DEADLY CREATURE BELOW!

Writer-William Reed Woodfield, Allan Balter

Dir-Sobey Martin

Teaser

Seaview fires a missile up as an officer on the map plots it. Meanwhile at the Crown Penal Colony in the Grand Bahamas two prisoners escape, climbing a tree over an electric fence while tower guards shoot machine guns. They fight a guard outside the fence and Dobbs punches him into the fence, killing the man. The two make off in a rowboat. Nelson and Sharkey will take the diving bell, which now is faster and can cut the time it used to go down in by half, down to plant a device on the bottom. Riley hands the guidance device which is one million and a half bucks. Seaview is on the surface as the bell is released to 8240 feet with 2000 feet toward bottom. If the bottom is solid enough, Nelson will plant the guidance and destruct mechanism--which can fire retaliatory rockets without a programmed target. Riley in the periscope sees two men clinging to an overturned rowboat, both almost unconscious. Chip calls the rescue detail. Nelson photographs fish but suddenly the fish leave. A red faced two headed giant seaweed like thing is on the bottom waiting for the diving bell!

Act One

Crane sees the men on the rowboat using the Missile Room TV monitor. Ski brings the bell up. Nelson and Sharkey didn't see the giant monster. The two men are brought down the conning tower to the control room and sickbay. Doc (Wayne Heffley) and Nelson talk to the men. The coarse one is Francis J Dobbs and his partner is Joe Hawkins. Nelson lends Dobbs cigarettes and tells them he is going to the Grand Bahamas in the Flying Sub--the two men who claim to be fishermen--will go with him. The two are left alone in sickbay to plot--why? Dobbs plans to get them to Brazil where there is no extradition treaty--they can't be sent back to the prison. Sharky and Ski in the galley talk--Ski thinks the two men are as phony as a six dollar bill. The men told the Seaviewers they rented a boat in Miami and drifted. Ski didn't see a rental number. Sharkey calls him Sherlock. Ski warns Sharkey who tells him to save his deductions for his income tax. Ski raises a fist behind Sharkey in a teasing way. The men go into the missile room despite Crane's objections that it is a restricted area. Nelson tells Crane to stop worrying about the men. The men look at the detailed Seaview plans on the wall--it has the arsenal and Flying Sub dock locations. Crane tells the men the plans are classified. Dobbs tells him they have everything on this sub but a pool room. Dobbs and Hawkins go near the bell. Hawkins distracts the men by going near one of the nuclear missile silos and opening it. While he does, Dobbs oils the clutch control on the winch, then he and Hawkins leave the missile room. The bell drops fast and drops at the monster! To equalize the fall, Nelson opens main valves all the way. We hear the familiar shaking sound effects as the monster's face appears at the bell's window. The bell goes up as we see sunlight (this low?) coming down from the surface. Nelson and Sharkey are unconscious. Dobbs gets a gun and Hawkins a rifle. Nelson and Sharkey come out of the bell while Dobbs and Hawkins take over the control room. An officer hits an alarm so Hawkins shoots him down--most likely dead. Dobbs makes Chip open the Flying Sub hatch. Nelson and Crane run in and there is a gun fight. Dobbs closes the crash doors and he and Hawkins race up the circle ladder--Hawkin's leg hit by Nelson (in the promo material it was Crane who shot him and when shot, Hawkin's machine gun fire hit the ballast controls). The gun fight resulted in the crooks' bullets wildly hitting the ballast tanks control and they flood. Seaview heads at the bottom...and the beast!

Act Two

The gun battle also caused the crash doors to be stuck with only a crack opening between them. Chip calls--there is a ledge ahead. (HOLD ON: Chip, just before the gun battle was taken into the nose area by the crooks--why didn't they use him as a hostage--did they forget he was there?). Seaview tilts down and Crane crashlands it on a ledge. Dobbs and Hawkins in the hallway hear Crane's announced warning to hold on. Dobbs and Hawkins are hiding in a small storeroom where Dobbs (not of F TROOP) smokes (phewie!). Hawkins needs a Doc for his leg. Nehemiah Persoff is quite good as Dobbs and here he shines as the unsympathetic crook. A crewman comes in so Dobbs hits him down. They go into the hall and find a vent. Nelson tells Crane the auto pressure on the ballast is weakened. Crane tells him he contacted the FBI about the crooks' records: robbery, kidnapping, and murder. Nelson tells him not to take any chances with these two--shoot first. Crane sees too much pressure on the tanks so someone has to go down and free the main control valves in the vent--manually. Sharkey talks Crane into letting him. The vents, reached by a lower compartment are filled with water. Sharkey has to go in as the pressure rises from 196 to 205 while Ski waits outside talking to him on radio. Sharkey has to use a torch on the valve to free it. As pressure rises to 222, Sharkey coughs but makes it up. Music during this part comes from ESCAPE FROM VENICE (Nelson Riddle-composed). We also see a young ensign--younger than most seen before and after who is with Ski and Sharkey. Seaview blows main tanks and rises up. The monster is nearby. Dobbs and Hawkins go down the ladder and the crash doors are still partially opened a crack--from which Hawkins wants to shoot Nelson through as he stands at the computer with his back to them. Hawkins takes aim.

Act Three

Dobbs stops him and the pair go to the Flying Sub ladder and down. It don't look like any plane--Hawkins tells Dobbs who says all planes are the same. They find the checklist to launch. They open the keel hatch under it. Power is put on. Sparks gives Riley a message from Washington DC--they want the guidance control device report. Flying Sub launches as Nelson and Crane watch it sail off. Nelson is worried about the guidance device which Riley and Crane has put on it for him to take to Washington DC. Dobbs tries to fly the Flying Sub like a plane. Nelson calls him and tries to help--open left rudder. Hawkins tells Dobbs to do as Nelson says--ease up on the planes and back your engines. The Seaview commanders watch as the Flying Sub hits the bottom. Seaview seems to have smaller fins in the First Season as we see stock from Season one as it drops past a ledge. The crooks see the monster (the Flying Sub windows look too large in a few scenes but the effects are okay). It gets the Flying Sub. Dobbs calls Nelson, yelling for him. Soon, Seaview will go below crush depth. Nelson tells him they need that prototype device. Seaview goes down and we hear loud shaking sound effects. Dobbs stops Hawkins from trying to get out the top of the Flying Sub, "Not fast enough pal."Crane and Nelson see the creature from the window of Seaview. Crane says, "It's playing with the Flying Sub as if it were a toy."Nelson suggests a laser beam without hitting the Flying Sub. Crane fires twice and it lets it go. Flying Sub hits bottom again. Nelson asks if they are all right. Dobbs sees the thing...it is still alive. Seaview moves over Flying Sub and Chip activates the magnetic recovery. It is picked up. Seaview clears the thing but an explosion occurs and everyone shakes. The main tanks blew and Seaview drops again---to 4900 feet. The engine room cannot reverse the diving planes--the pressure might make them snap off. They will bleed the line and tie it down. Dropping to 5900 feet the beast moves in. They empty the port ballast and plan to jettison torpedoes and missiles to make the sub lighter. Nelson demands a guard on the Flying Sub hatch when Crane asks about Dobbs and Hawkins. Sharkey closes the crash doors manually. Hawkins shoots his rifle up the hatch at Kowalski and Ski falls, holding his head!

Act Four

Hawkins and Dobbs go up the ladder again. A man fixes a leak of gas and water. Dobbs knocks him out. Dobbs and Hawkins go to the missile room. Nelson tells them they can't go outside but Dobbs slaps him. The pressure will kill them in 30 seconds. Nelson grabs a frightened Hawkins and holds him. Dobbs shoots and kills Hawkins, then goes out the hatch. The beast attacks Seaview fully now as it sinks more and more. Nelson falls with the mike--which looked unplanned. Almost a blooper or very good acting of being annoyed by the fall and almost losing or being hit in the face by the mike! He tells Crane to move them into firing position and he will fire a missile from there. Gee, aren't they too close? We hear music from LEVIATHAN. Crane tells Nelson on the next roll they go. Nelson fires it and Crane orders Seaview ahead full...there is only a ten second delay fuse on the missile. The beast blows up. Seaview is hit from behind by bubbles.

Tag

Seaview is on the surface, Ski's head was only grazed. Nelson tells Crane to make a 360 degree sweep of the area in the remote possibility Dobbs might be alive. Crane asks him if Dobbs would have done the same for us, to which Nelson says, "No, human life meant no more to him than to that creature out there."Crane says, "At least the creature never had a chance to be something else."

Nelson says, "Who knows...perhaps Dobbs never did either."

NOTE: The galley was seen quite a lot in this season. This season almost had reoccurring set pieces set up in the script: the lab of Nelson's, the galley and the talk scene among the lower crew--setting up the plot in a more down to earth talk, the nose which usually served to end the story in the epilogue tag, and others. It gave the show some consistency. The special effects in DEADLY CREATURE BELOW are magnificent and well worth the episode; however the script as presented in the aired version leaves some things unclear---what is this prototype, why is the missile shot up and is it in the Bahamas--if so where--at the bottom and what does it have to do with the device being planted on the bottom by Sharkey and Nelson? Also--did the missile go down and is that what they are looking for in the bell? Why are two strangers not looked into until they cause so much trouble and why are they let free to roam around Seaview? Why did they just let Chip go during the gun battle? This episode was supposed to be called ESCAPE and the viewmaster reels used this story. The monster appeared in LOST IN SPACE in THE RAFT and PRISONERS OF SPACE and in VOYAGE'S first seasoner THE CONDEMNED. It would feature again in VOYAGE via stock in SECRET OF THE DEEP (which used quite a bit from DEADLY CREATURE BELOW!).

THE PHANTOM STRIKES

Writer-William Welch

Dir-Sutton Roley

Music-Lenny Hayton, Herman Stein (in what must be the only combo composer credit in Irwin Allen's four sci-fic shows).

Teaser

Seaview is charting 90 square miles and in three days will be home. Pat gets a metal contact in 1000 yards. Ski is on the pathometer. There is no reading from the hydrophone and no sound. Nelson sees a wreck ahead. The forward keel camera shows it--a WWI sub-a U-Boat. Seaview moves over the wreck in an incredible special effect. The U Boat has a large hole in it and must be 60 years old. The Seaview's reactor power shuts down but the readings do not confirm it is shut down! Suddenly the U444 rises. Chip sees it first and they all watch out the nose windows. There is no sound as it rises up. Nelson tries to believe it is strong bottom currents but there aren't any. It rises up in front of Seaview. Riley now gets a sound from the dead ship--a clanging. We see various close ups of the nervous crew listening to this. Pat now gets a contact. This is almost like a one hour TWILIGHT ZONE episode but it is much scarier here and much better being a part of a continuing series.

Act One

TV monitor and hydrophone are out, they seem to have power available but nothing works. Bubbles blow up, Seaview vibrates, and the WWI sub is gone. Power reactivates to answer bells. Nelson's idea, "Let's get outta here."Seaview later rests on the surface. Nelson's desk now faces the wall. From Washington, he finds out the U444 was commissioned July 1916 and was attacked Sept. 1918 by an Allied convoy specifically a Canadian sub chaser which sank it. This happened in the North Atlantic--5000 air miles, 30,000 sea miles from where they saw the U444 in the Central Pacific. Chip is on the conning tower and using a large light to see debre and a survivor clinging to some. Two crewmen in a raft get the survivor, rowing. As they bring the man--a cold faced man--to the top of the conning tower, the lights go out in the control room, the man's face appearing darkly lit at the circular opening--in an effective sequence. In the first season there was a room between the control room and the opening to the conning tower which doesn't appear to be present here, nor does it appear to be missing--sort of smaller. "Good evening, gentlemen,"the man said and requests to come below. He comes below and the lights go on again. He introduces himself as Captain Gerhardt Kruegar of the SS Edelweiss out of Hamburg. Sharkey will show him dry clothes. Seaview goes down to 90 feet. Kruegar explains his ship was rammed by a U Boat. Nelson is smoking (yuck) as they sit in the nose (the nose bubbles particularly noisy). He explains the ship is a ghost ship--a Flying Dutchman. He has no ID. Ski is assigned as his escort. Seaview is heading for the Hawaiian islands. There is an extreme close up on first Nelson's and then Kruegar's eyes. The entire filming of this episode is well handled, expertly done. As Kowalski and Kruegar leave, Crane tells Nelson that Kruegar is either lying or insane. Gee, wouldn't it do to put a guard on him? Kowalski is outside Cabin B and Kruegar is supposed to be inside. Suddenly, he sees the man in the hallway but when Ski calls to him, the door opens behind Ski--it is Kruegar, smiling at him. Nelson is getting dressed and we see his dress room and parts of his wardrobe. Crane cannot wait to get to Honolulu. Nelson tells him there is no Edelweiss out of Hamburg--a report just came in from Hamburg. Nelson asks Sparks to come to his cabin for a top secret priority message. Ski tells Riley that Kruegar is weird; Riley agrees, "Creepsville."Sharkey tells them the man is okay--Sharkey knows human nature and this "guy's as normal as you are,"he looks at Riley, "..maybe twice as much."Chip bets the computer is all right--that Patterson made a mistake in getting the readings. The Seaview turns out to be in the South Seas--3000 miles south of where they should be. The readings come from the navigational satellite--the inertial navigator. Someone must have altered the settings to give the false reading. At sonar, Ski almost tells Crane something but thinks better of it.Kruegar seldom drinks coffee anymore he says. He asks if Nelson knows who he is, "I am what you suspect me to be,"he says, adding that he willed Nelson to know it. In time he will accept him. Crane comes in and will now have to confine Kruegar to the brig--it is his job to be responsible for Seaview to be at specific places at specific times and Kruegar seems to be interfering with that. An officer-Master at Arms takes the German captain to the brig. Seaview picks up a contact. The U444 rises up at the nose of the submarine Seaview and the men hear that clanging noise again!

Act Two

Crane thinks they have been going in circles and that Kruegar is demoralizing the crew. After a burst, the U444 vanishes. Kruegar gets Sharkey's pen from him somehow---from behind the bars of the brig. Nelson derobes and goes to bed. Kruegar calls him and is in his chair behind the desk. He wants Nelson to kill Crane since he himself cannot take the life in the body he wants to possess. He uses Nelson's globe to show the Admiral the deadline for him to kill Crane--the 16th parallel crossing. If he has not killed Crane as they cross it or before--all on Seaview will die--it will be the end of the Seaview and all on board her. Nelson calls the Master of Arms. Kruegar sits down. Crane tells Nelson he can get Kruegar to Hickenfield in one hour in the Flying Sub but Nelson discovers Kruegar is not in the brig. Chip goes to check out the Flying Sub--and we get a good view of the top riggings and ceiling of the Flying Sub. Chip is caught in a mysterious fire in the Flying Sub.

Act Three

Fire detail gets Morton out of the Flying Sub. Crane insists Chip be taken to Sickbay. Nelson tells Crane that Kruegar is not in the brig--he is gone. Sharkey checks out the Flying Sub--the cause of the fire is unknown but for now, it won't fly. Patterson gives Nelson a special message on the scrambler. As the crew search for Kruegar, Riley tells the others, "This guy's wild!" Ski and Riley search Nelson's cabin--they had orders to search everywhere even what Ski calls, "Officer's Country."Riley tells Nelson, "He's not here, sir."Nelson nods, almost comically. As they leave, the room looks very dark...almost too dark...darker than ever before...odd since we see no windows on the cabin...but the wall that we are looking through may have one...but I am sure we've seen that wall some time in the series. The special message has info and photos of Kruegar (how did they get to Seaview...via screen...a fax?). Kruegar appears in Nelson's bed and gets up (what does this mean?). He continues to push Nelson to kill Crane. Nelson snaps, "He's not only a fine officer but a very close, close friend."Kruegar argues that he will give Crane's body immortality. Crane barges in in the middle of this and orders Sharkey and the others to put him in the brig in irons and to shoot him if he tries to escape. They are three to four hours from the 16th parallel. Nelson has his gun in his wall safe. An officer guards Kruegar (the Master of Arms officer) who is in a bunk, his hands in iron handcuffs. Suddenly, a sound and the officer turns to find the handcuffs dangling...Kruegar gone from them. He sees the German walking down the hallway, away from him. He shoots many times...only to have the far off man turn around and watch him as he is shot at!

Act Four

Nelson tells Crane to stay away from Kruegar. Men chase Kruegar who hides in the wall! Or in the shadows of the wall. Ski coming down the ladder, shoots Kruegar, who falls. Ski yells for the others...almost sounding relieved he killed the strange man. When he turns back to the body, the man he just shot is gone! Ski flips out, hits the walls, and shoots wildly, hits Pat and Riley, and has to be subdued! Pat and Riley, chasing Kruegar with Crane behind, shoot at the German man. Kruegar runs into a storage room and the door closes. Riley and Pat shoot at the door. They open it and he falls out, his eyes open. Bullet holes in his shirt and in the canisters of liquid behind him, the liquid leaking out. Seaview is on the surface in dark clouds at night. Crane reads from the Bible about the seas giving up their dead and the end of the world. They are performing a burial at sea. Present are Nelson, Crane, another officer, and a few other crewmen including Riley. Kruegar's body is cast out into the ocean. Nelson's cabin--they are crossing the 16th parallel (Nelson has his tie on). Crane asks Nelson about Kruegar and Nelson's own strange behavior but the Admiral tells him to leave it alone. Crane cannot understand Nelson's actions: the stranger Kruegar acted, the more tolerant Nelson became. This despite the fact that Kruegar did things that would normally make Nelson blow his stack. Nelson sees the gun from his safe--now sitting on his chair behind his desk! "He's back."Crane didn't hear what Nelson said but Nelson picks up the gun and points it at Lee, who stands out of his seat and asks several times--what's happened. Nelson throws the gun down. Seaview is on the surface in fog. Crane is on the conning tower with the fog light and a crewman. The U444 is on the surface with Kruegar with his hat on on the sub's outer rigging conning tower. Pat gets a blip from 1500 yards and it follows Seaview when the modern sub changes coarse and speed. Nelson tells Chip it is the Flying Dutchman. Crane sees Kruegar using binoculars and orders a magnetic homing missile (number 4) to readying. Sharkey fires the missile and the U444 blows up. Seaview is to go down now. Crane and Nelson check the conning tower that the U444 did blow up. When they come back down into the control room...they see the crew staring at something in silence...in the dark submarine. Kruegar, who stands before all of them in the nose!

Tag

The ghost asks about the metal seeking torpedo and infrared search lights which cut through the fog. He tells them his plan was a mistake. There was a simple flaw in his plot--"Oh, I could still destroy all of you with a simple wave of my hand,"but he claims he is behind the times...far behind the times and will leave them to all their bewildering hardware..."I wonder where it will take you."He walks out the nose into the bubbling bubbles in one very effective and moody special effect! The lights go back on and Seaview's sounds come alive again. Nelson nods, "He won't come back--he was out of his place and out of his time. He finally realized it."

NOTES: This story, the first really total supernatural one, has many things in its favor...fine performances by Basehart, Hedison, and Alfred Ryder as Kruegar; excellent special effects of the ghost ship and the leaving sequence of Kruegar; moody filming techniques and camera work, dark lighting; and a lack of silliness. It is played completely straight unlike the ghost stories later offered up on this series and on LOST IN SPACE-GHOST IN SPACE and THE ASTRAL TRAVELER. There are no silly pop out and pop in sounds and visuals for this ghost...all his appearances and vanishings are done with style and flair...and originality each and every time. The most effective being the handcuff sequence in the brig. We don't actually see him vanish most of the time...it is just implied. The idea of filming a horror story on a submarine may not be novel to TV (THE TWILIGHT ZONE did this already) but to VOYAGE it was a new thing...and the claustrophobic setting and the "cut off from the world"feeling all add to the tension. For some reason, when Kruegar was to return in THE RETURN OF THE PHANTOM, the sequences after Kruegar was shot and buried at sea were all ignored totally. Instead a new ending of Nelson and Crane admitting to each other that Kruegar was just a trickster and illusionist was shot and tagged on...very silly editing and scripting for such a good sequel...the idea of Kruegar's last statements, so relevant to THE PHANTOM STRIKES, were negated by the new ignoring of the original ending. Wouldn't it have been better if Kruegar's spirit was renewed in interest by the plaguing thoughts and hauntings of his love for Lani? Wouldn't it be better if Kruegar acknowledged his parting apology was wrong...or was right...just that he couldn't ignore his longing for life and for his former love? Instead, we get very little from Kruegar and the script as to why he chose to ignore his last statements from THE PHANTOM STRIKES. Very unsettling...but in a negative way. Both stories deserved a better link to each other. Perhaps Kruegar altered reality for THE RETURN OF THE PHANTOM. Logic is a bit short in this: if Kruegar was a ghost and could do so much, why did his body seem to be shot in the storage room and buried at sea...he must have had some type of physical body to him or at least was giving the impression of touch. In all, a very good pair of episodes with THE PHANTOM STRIKES a bit better in style and imagination. This must be one of the only times a pair of composers was credited in an Irwin Allen TV series episode at one time for one episode! Herman Stein recently appeared on the Sci-Fi channel with Irving Gertz and they both seemed to be having fun.